Spotlight: Parasite

St. Tammany Parish Libraries have an extensive collection of books and movies readily available to check out to patrons of all ages.  Here is but a peek of what we have in our catalog!

Parasite is a 2019 dark comedy/thriller directed and co-written by Bong Joon-ho.  It has received a myriad of awards including the Canne Film Festival's Palme D'or and the Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Director, and Best International Feature Film.  It also holds the title of the first non-English language film to win Best Picture.  Parasite is rated R for language, violence, and sexual content.

The Kims are a lower-income family struggling to make ends meet in their sub-basement apartment.  When the son Ki-woo receives an offer to be an English tutor for the affable Park family, the Kims plan to infiltrate the home and take advantage of the Park's wealth.

The ideal way to experience Parasite is with no knowledge beyond the basic premise, so allow me to instead discuss my experience when watching this film.  What I knew was that Joon-ho's films tend to transform at the midpoint.  Once I realized the shift was happening in Parasite, I was excited and frightened.  It was then that I saw what story was really being told, and it's that feeling I want others to experience when going into this film.

Parasite is spoken in Korean with small bits of English, and subtitles are included.  I am encouraging patrons to not let this be the barrier that prevents them from enjoying this movie.  The writing is clever and punchy, the acting is spectacular, and the soundtrack is the superb cherry on top when describing the scenes' tension.  Whether or not patrons are familiar with the language, everything in this movie works in its favor.

Are you excited to watch this movie?  Place a hold through our catalog, or contact your local branch.

Thank you for reading!